travel agent professional oct. 2013

Travel AgentProfessional

October 2013Issue 25

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=18




1

Travel Agent Professional TA

P2013

Ad In

dex

64 Why I Don’t Like YellowByLes-LeeRolandOwnerofThePackageDeal

68 Where Travel Professionals Still Excel Succeed — Being The Miracle WorkerByCindyBertramCindy'sInsideCruise&TravelTrack,LLC

12 Making Niche Markets ProfitableByPaullTickner

16 Side bySideByScottKoepfVicePresidentofSalesAvoyaTravel/AmericanExpress

ShowcaseAffluent Traveler Collection...........................26

Auto Europe .............................................22

Enterprise Holdings.....................................11

Expedia CruiseShipCenters .......................24

National Car Rental, .....................................21

NEST .............................................................27

OASIS .........................................................7

October

Auto Europe .....................IFC, 23, 25

Avoya Travel/American Express.....15

Britain Greatdays.............................3

HostTravelAgency.com .................17

Royal Caribbean Line ....................BC

Travel Experts, Inc. ........................19

Travelsavers...................................20

October 2013 Issue 25

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the firstmagazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abelsran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfa-ther, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they tookthe publication over after her grandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agentindustry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agentsthroughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade showsand three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and HomeBased Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the NealAward, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hit-ting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and stay-ing with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man.He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by hisword and believed in his work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping thatthis new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Tradeeditorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel andthose who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek

Travel Agent ProfessionalP.O. Box 120198

Staten Island, NY 10312E-mail:

[email protected]:

718.360.3153

Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design

[email protected]

Bonnie WallingEditor

[email protected]

Alan CohenVice President marketing

[email protected]

Meet Our Editorial Board

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Scott KoepfVice President of Sales

Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center

www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583

Sherry Laskin, ACCTravel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

www.cruisemaven.com

Paull Tickner,Creator of Special Interest Britain

[email protected]

Cindy Bertram,Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

[email protected]

Sue Sh apiro, PresidentShapiro Travel [email protected]

www.shapirotravelresources.com

Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry

April 1927 to January 2007

September 2013

This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor andpublisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.

Travel AgentProfessional

Welcome to the exciting world of Special Interest Britain, which will help you to identify, develop and convertuntapped sources of new business into high yield, customised groups, both large and small.

We’re the experts you’ve been looking for if your niche markets include:

• Girls Getaways3-6 night itineraries to London, Bath & the Cotswolds; quilting, embroidery and needlework.

• Gardens, Stately Homes and CastlesGarden clubs; herb, rose and other specialist societies; Master Gardeners; flower arrangers.

• Literary BritainRegular and specialist bookstores for murder/mystery; friends of libraries; English teachers.

• The Performing ArtsFund raisers for friends of the theatre, symphony, and opera; Gilbert and Sullivan societies.

• The Visual ArtsMuseums and art galleries; watercolour painters; continuing education college.

• Christian Heritage Episcopal, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian choirs and congregations.

• Family travelTailor made itineraries to London and the countryside.

• Pre and post cruise extensionsAdd-ons for Southampton, Dover and Harwich arrivals and departures

• The Great OutdoorsGolf, cycling, walking, steam train enthusiasts.

For over 35 years, we’ve been gaining EXPERIENCE through designing and operating oftencomplex tailor made programmes and we have acquired an almost encyclopedicKNOWLEDGE of Britain, both on and off the beaten track. We also have a very long list ofUK/Ireland CONNECTIONS who deliver those special touches to your chosen itineraries, andsome GREAT RATES thanks to our handling over 80,000 passengers each year.

Our tours carry three distinctive hall marks:

• They TRAVEL LESS so that your customers can SEE MORE

• Are enhanced by memorable VALUE ADDED EXPERIENCES

• Are often for SMALL GROUPS of 15-20 people

As everything we do is designed to meet your client’s interests, time frame and budget, let’sstart talking about how we can help you to harness the potential from your chosen nichemarket(s).

For further information please email: [email protected]

Greatdays UK Incomingwhere travel agents ALWAYS come first

Offices in London and Manchester, Great Britain Tel: +44 161 928 9286 Fax: +44 161 928 9911 www.greatdays.co.uk

October 2013

4

Well that time of the year has arrived.

Every September, I put together my

marketing plan and budget for the

next year.

By

L

es

-L

ee

R

ola

nd

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Why I Don’t Like

Yellow

Easier said than done. I keep notes throughout the

year to remind me of trends, peaks, valleys, requests

from clients, etc. I also keep an everygrowing bucket

list. Yes, I ask my clients regularly to provide or update

their bucket lists. When I see a growth in certain desti-

nations, that’s when I concentrate on securing group

space, other than what I normally would have.

Tahiti is always a prime example. It’s seasonal, exotic,

on many people’s lists. And if I get 3 couples inter-

ested — I promote. Once I get over that hump of 3

bookings, it seems to grow.

River Cruises — thank goodness their TC require-

ments are for 10 cabins. Easy enough. Same as with

a couple of other cruise l ines. So, i f I have not

already booked group space earlier in the year, this

is my last chance to get the cabins. I just wish there

were more benefits offered for the river cruise

groups. Somehow, from one river cruise line, selling

10 cabins and then getting a free bottle of cham-

pagne in each cabin is not a super amenity. Especially

s ince they serve wine and beer with meals . Of

course that is coupled with $100 off the regular fare,

and the TC. Only problem, is their regular fare

sometimes is not such a savings due to their every

changing promotions.

So after I work on securing space to promote for

2014, I work on my advertising budget.

I make a list of the co-op monies I used in 2013, and

their results. So what if I promoted Cunard with co-

op and people did not book. Did they call me and

book something else? That is equally important. Just

to keep me visible to them.

I have monthly newsletters and offers that are auto-

matically sent out by my database company. I never

know until the last minute what will be offered. But

my clients do receive them, and if they don’t call me,

I can give them a quick call or e-mail.

Travel Agent Professional

5I send out my own birthday — anniversary — thank

you’s — and keep in touch e-mail cards. I use a won-

derful company based in England, with a great choice

of categories of cards. Some with music and some

without. It is my least expensive form of advertising,

only $15 a year. It takes about 10 minutes every

month for me to do this. And of all my clients, only

three have ever asked for them not to be sent. That’s

a good percentage. Plus I get a report on which ones

were opened, and 99% are opened.

Now, for the one area that I truly hate working on. I

still refer to it as the Yellow Pages. In some areas of

the country there are d i f ferent names . We a l l

remember the phone books being delivered once a

year, some for residential and some with yellow

pages only for business.

Call me old fashioned. I still like those books. Better

than going online for me. Let me tell you why. Going

online, you see first the ones who pay extra to be

listed first. And with the travel industry, the national

companies may be mixed in with the locals. For

example, United Airlines may be just above ABC

Family travel.

So you’re thinking, I should go online and put in trav-

el agencies and the zip code. Well, where I live, there

are numerous zip codes within 10 miles, and that

doesn’t help.

I prefer looking at their ads in a printed form. In an

alphabetical order. I can see where they’re located by

address or even by the beginning of their phone num-

ber. I know the ones who have taken out larger ads

and paying a considerable upcharge and they might

not do that if they didn’t get a return on the monthly

fees. I can also see if they are listing a supplier – and

then I can contact my supplier for co-op, if I choose.

In my database, I keep a record of every new client

and how they found me or vice versa. If they were(continued on page 6)

6

October 2013

referred by a current client, and they book with me,

I do send that first client a gift card. Nothing special,

unless it was a BIG booking. But enough, for them to

be appreciative.

If the remark shows they found me in the yellow

pages, my database also shows how much they have

booked with me. And if they sent me any future

clients. That way I can better analyze how my money

is being spent.

The last thing I do is to rely on the rep contacting

me from the yellow pages for his advice. (In over 20

years of business, I have never had a female from

their company calling on me — wonder why). The

rep is changed almost yearly. The company brings a

crew of people in to the area to l ive for a few

months to saturate the territory. And I have heard

stories about their accommodations.

To date — not one rep has given me accurate info

that I can use. They give me suggestions on if I increase

my ad, I should get more business. For the past two

years, they have been pushing their online advertising.

What I have found is, more agencies have pulled out

of the local books, or decreased their ads, and very

few are online. Now, it may work for them. But no

outsider, whose main interest is getting his own

commission and then be out of this territory, can tell

me what is going to work for me.

Now for the dreaded request. I ask for a rate card. This

is something that is offered with all print and media

advertising. This company, representing what I call “yel-

low pages” does not ever have a rate card. Their

excuse is that the rates are written for them to read, it

would be too complicated for them to list something

the business person could understand. Now, I will go

out on a limb here, and state that my intelligence level

is probably higher if not equal to most of these reps.

Certainly so with the last person who called on me.

For any newspaper ad, for a TV or radio spot, I can

get a rate card and demographic info.

But these books are so sacred, that info has to be

pulled out of them. And pulling a paperbag through a

keyhole is easier.

Somehow progress is not working. What once was

one book delivered each fall, has turned into three

— five books delivered throughout the year, saturat-

ing the same market. And to select one book, and

find you are not in their smaller companion book

that wasn’t even offered, can be discouraging.

This companion book is said to be smaller, easier to

find things in. And as the rep said, many people are

keeping it in their cars. Hello… don’t they carry

enough things in the cars already. Gee I have my

bluetoooth, my I phone and my woman’s voice I can

ask anything to and she responds. (Now if she could

only find me a fella). So why would I carry it in the

car. It’s smaller than a breadbox, but larger than a

glove compartment.

So, let me take an unofficial survey of my family of trav-

el agents. How do you advertise, and if you use any-

thing involved with the books from phone companies-

what are your results?. Just send the comments, and the

cities. Maybe Chicago or Denver are better print cities

than Sarasota, Fl. (but we do have better weather).

End result- I would rather be home with the chicken pox,

than work with the yellow pages type company reps.

Comments can be sent to [email protected]


OASIS Launches OASIS U, Enhanced Future Agent Sales Training (FAST) Delivers Accelerated

Learning for Independent Travel AgentsTravel agent sales expected to reach $100 billion in 2013 (PhoCusWright).

Travel and tourism continue to outpace other employ-ment sectors (U.S. Department of Labor). More con-sumers are turning to travel agents, because agents offerpersonalized service and access to industry benefits notavailable to consumers. Many new and younger sellersof travel are needed now and in the future, as olderagents enter retirement.

Recognizing this need, OASIS, in conjunction withThe Travel Institute, has launched its new OASIS U toenhance the existing F.A.S.T. (Future Agent SalesTraining) program, which incorporates training, coach-ing, and mentoring. OASIS is a leader in the develop-ment of turnkey marketing programs for independenttravel agents, the company has now added a turnkeytraining program to empower new agents to quicklyenter this high-growth industry.

“A cornerstone of OASIS is equipping independentagents with the tools and the confidence they need inorder to succeed,” states Kelly Bergin, vice president ofbusiness development. “We listen to our agents andmentor them in solving day-to-day challenges. This pro-vides OASIS with the insights to continually improve itslearning systems to meet the evolving needs of ouragents.”

The tuition for the comprehensive F.A.S.T. program isonly $399. The curriculum includes courses on market-ing, supplier knowledge, social media strategies, busi-ness techniques, and much more. Mentoring by anexperienced OASIS agent, ensures new agents that helpis available when they need it. Ongoing webinars keepthem up-to-date on the technology and the trends. Asthe name implies, F.A.S.T. is designed to provide newagents with everything they need in order to jump-starttheir new career.

Showcase

OASIS, the Outside Agents Sales Integration System, is a division of Smart Travel Group of Boca Raton, Florida.For more information about OASIS Agent visit www.OasisAgent.com or contact Kelly Bergin at 800-613-8380extension 120, or by email at [email protected]

About OASISOASIS is a division of Smart

Travel Group, Ltd. Headquartered

in Boca Raton, FL, Smart Travel

Group is the holding company for

a variety of travel related business-

es. Founded in 1987 as Palm

Coast Travel by CEO Lee

Smolinski, the company has

expanded to become one of the

leading online cruise agencies in

the U.S.

Palm Coast Travel, the agency

division of Smart Travel Group, is

a full service travel agency. It is a

member of Signature Travel

Network, Iatan, ASTA, NACTA,

OSSN, CLIA, and PATH. For more

information please contact Kelly

Bergin 561-393-7274 ext.120 or

[email protected] or visit

http://www.OasisAgent.com.

8

Cin

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B

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October 2013

The recent Women’s Day article,

“Nine Things Travel Agents

Won’t Tell You,” created a bit of

a stir and with good reason. The

article questioned the integrity

of today’s travel professionals,

making it sound like they might

just misdirect clients to make a

higher commissionable sale. Yes,

the article had several mistruths,

because today’s true travel pro-

fessionals excel not only when it

comes to keeping their clients’

“best interests at heart” but also

take on the additional role of

being “miracle workers.”

Where Travel Professionals Still ExcelSucceed

— Being The Miracle Worker

By Cindy BertramCindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

The client comes first and providing that human touch

When it comes to good business style,

professionalism and strong business ethics, the client

comes first. That’s always been at the core of any good

successful business and when it comes to the travel indus-

try, it’s really no different. It’s at the core of what we do

and where we excel.

Think about your best clients for a minute. If you mentally

go back to how they found you, started booking through

you and continue coming back again and again? You’ve

come to know their preferences, what’s important to

them, and what I like to refer to as their “hot buttons.”

It’s not like treating them as if they are just a number.

How many times have you called a company about an

issue or question and end up having to go through about

5 or 6 prompts, before you’re even allowed to talk to a

real person? Going through that “voice automation call

system” gets very frustrating, because while I’m going

through the voice prompts, I’m mentally thinking, “I just

want to speak to a human being. If I could have figured

out the answer to my question online, I wouldn’t have

made this phone call in the first place.”

9


Where Travel Professionals Still ExcelSucceed

— Being The Miracle Worker

A personal example of “the client comes first” I’d

like to share goes back a few years. It involved a client

who was a referral. Dorothy and her husband wanted to

go on a rather extensive European cruise and see several

things that were still on their “list to see and do.” I went

through a few different cruise options to narrow things

down, we found the perfect one, and I got their deposit

put in. I also sent fun things to help keep their excite-

ment, because this was a much awaited vacation. Four

days before their final deposit was due, I happened to get

information about a special discounted, promotional air-

fare this cruise line was doing out of a different airport,

but one that still might work for my clients. So I immedi-

ately called Dorothy about this new promotion. In their

case it was going to add a bit more drive time to the dif-

ferent departure airport but was going to save them

money. We discussed the pros and cons – in their case it

was going to involve a 2.5 hour drive to the other airport

instead of a 1.5 hour drive, but it was a sizable savings of

$2,500.00. I also told Dorothy she had a day or two to

think about it and run it by her husband, and we could

make the change when we did their final payment

What did Dorothy and her husband decide to do?

They opted for the lower airfare promotion and

were thrilled. The flights worked out well, they had a

wonderful experience, and when they came back?

Dorothy came by to drop off a special gift for me.

For me? It was just a matter of taking care of my

clients and making sure they came first. Did we lose

some commission? Yes, we lost a little (that’s when

cruise lines provided commission on their airfare.)

But it really didn’t matter, because not only did they

come back to book, but also provided referrals.

I was doing the right thing, I gained a “client for life,”

and built a genuine client relationship.

&An example of “the client comes first”

The “behind the scenes” work where travel professionals excel

What people outside the travel industry don’t always grasp are the ongoing changes and

fluctuations when it comes to pricing on products. These aren’t just fluctuations in airfare but changes in

tour and cruise line fares, with a variety of stipulations attached.

(continued on page 10)

October 2013

10A travel industry colleague, Jodee,

recently ran across a bit of a chal-

lenge with a client’s booking. It’s a

perfect example of our “behind the

scenes” work that often doesn’t get

wr i t ten about . In her case , i t

involved good cl ients who travel

together. There are only a few tour

companies that offer this destina-

t ion , and the tour company her

clients like has some pretty strict

s t ipu la t ions . Th i s tour company

requires that guests purchase their

travel protection plan, and then if

the price happens to go down, the

tour company will allow the price

change (if the rules are applicable.)

If clients don’t purchase the travel

protection plan at time of booking,

and the price drops, it gets very

complicated.

These clients had opted not to take

that tour company’s travel protec-

t ion plan and the price dropped

before final payment. Prior to call-

ing her c l ients about the lower

pr ice , Jodee did some extens ive

“homework” to see if the price had

dropped enough to warrant the

change fees that would be involved

and if they would still save money. It

did, and she presented it to these

clients as an option. Was she going

to lose some commission if they

decided to make this change? Yes,

but once again, it was doing her

“behind the scenes work” to see if

this was even a viable option for her

clients to consider.

Miracle worker

We all have our own stories of “Miracle

Worker” situations. I was able to get a nasty air

schedule changed eight days before a group I was

handling left for a cruise tour. Another involved get-

ting some clients back sooner after disembarking

from a cruise in Miami. A major snowstorm shut

down the Chicago airports for a two days, and the

airline told them they would have to stay in Miami

for another 6 days due to lack of availability. With

the personal business ties we had with that particu-

lar airline, however, we were able to help them get

back 3 days.

Perhaps the best example of travel professionals’

“miracle worker” talents really goes back to what we

did when 9/11 hit. Airports were closed for days,

with people stranded all over the country as well as

internationally. But travel professionals jumped in, to

help their stranded clients and help them return or

make their needed destination. This is what the

Women’s Day article never even seemed to address,

yet where we still shine.

Maybe at the bottom of our business cards we need

to have a tagline, “Yes, we’ve been known to provide

a few miracles for our clients.”


Company’s Investment Part of $750 Million Annual Economic Impact on Florida Economy

Enterprise Holdings Relocating, Renovating CarRental Facilities at Ft. Myers International Airport

Enterprise Holdings, operator of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Carbrands, today announced plans to better serve cus-tomers by relocating and renovating its rental facilitiesat Ft. Myers International Airport.

“We believe the $3.4 million we’re investing in thisimproved facility will spur market growth and createmore jobs in Lee County,” said Rob Wilson, vice presi-dent and general manager overseeing operations forEnterprise Holdings in Ft. Myers. “What’s more, cus-tomers of all three of our brands will experience addedconvenience and improved vehicle selection, in additionto the service quality they’ve come to expect.”

These improvements — part of a massive reallocationproject facilitated by the Lee County Port AirportAuthority — will give the Enterprise, National andAlamo brands premier placement in the center of thefacility, along with nearly 40 percent of the total space.Enhancements include a new customer-service building,availability of high-end cars, electronic tablets to stream-line the rental process, self-service kiosks and a NationalCar Rental Emerald Experience gateway. The project isscheduled for completion in November 2013.

“I am pleased that Enterprise continues to invest in theSouthwest Florida community,” said Senator LizbethBenacquisto, whose Florida Senate district includes Ft.Myers. “We expect the improvements the company ismaking to its airport facility will continue to spur growthand create more jobs in the region.”

Statewide economic impactEnterprise Holdings’ investment in Ft. Myers is just one

component of its estimated $750 million annual impacton Florida’s economy. Since opening its first Floridalocation in Orlando more than 40 years ago, the com-pany has grown to nearly 450 rental offices and morethan 5,000 employees across the state.

“We are proud of our longtime partnerships through-out Florida,” noted Wilson. “Enterprise’s $750 millionrepresents a recurring investment in facilities, local ven-dors and businesses, people and important communityorganizations, year after year, not just a projected one-time expenditure.”

Every year, Enterprise Holdings’ key contributions inFlorida include:

• $1,500 new employees, including graduatesrecruited from more than 30 local universities

• $185 million in state and local taxes• $130 million in annual vehicle purchases through

local dealerships• $1.5 million raised by employees for the United

Way’s 34 Florida chapters, with 50 percent of dona-tions matched by Enterprise Holdings Foundation

• Nearly $1 million granted to local Florida nonprofitgroups such as Impact Florida, Junior Achievement ofSouth Florida, Golden Retriever Rescue of SouthwestFlorida and the Urban League of Broward County

Overall, Enterprise Holdings, through its regional sub-sidiaries, operates the largest fleet of vehicles in theworld through a global network of more than 8,200 air-port and neighborhood locations. In addition, EnterpriseHoldings’ annual revenues place it near the top of thetravel industry, exceeding all other rental car compa-nies, and most airlines, cruise lines, hotels, tour opera-tors and online travel agencies.

Sustainable practicesEnterprise Holdings’ hiring and purchasing numbers in

Florida reflect the company’s overarching commitment toimplementing sustainable practices throughout its busi-nesses and supply chain. For example, during its mostrecent fiscal year Enterprise Holdings made $21.7 millionin companywide purchases from diverse suppliers basedin Florida, including $3.3 million in purchases from certi-fied Minority and Women-Owned businesses. In addition,Enterprise operations throughout the state have reducedenergy and water use by 20 percent and 34 percentrespectively, with an objective of reducing the company’soverall energy use and related costs 20 percent by 2015.

This long-term, sustainable commitment to theSunshine State also includes offering sustainable localtransportation options, such as the expanded fleet ofelectric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids that has helped thecompany play a key role in the Drive Electric Orlandoinitiative. Additionally, the company’s hourly car- shar-ing service, Enterprise CarShare, currently operateseight programs throughout Florida’s largest cities.

Show case

October 2013

By

P

au

ll T

ic

kn

er

Paull Tickner, creator of Special Interest Britain, is affiliated with the Greatdays Travel Group. For over 30 years, he has been developing

and operating customised niche travel programs for the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information, visit his Web site at

http://www.greatdays.co.uk/ and E-mail him at [email protected]

12Making Niche Markets

Profitable

I f deve lop ing smal l cus-tomised spec ia l interestgroups with an air/land salesvalue of around $40,000 ison your agenda let metempt you with some brightideas here in the UK.

With Britain as the chosendestination you need a hookon which to hang the cus-tomised tour and a P iedPiper to help you find thesmal l group of 20 or sointrepid travellers.

13If you’re targeting the local garden club, there’s the

Chelsea Flower Show at the end of May. What you

might not have thought of is packaging it with the

Courson Show in Paris (takes place just before

Chelsea) or with Bloom, the big horticultural event in

Dublin which is staged at the very beginning of June.

Go and meet your theatre contacts and tell them

that next year is the 450th anniversary of the birth of

William Shakespeare. The first ‘Shakespeare Week’

takes place in late March which might work for a

Spring Break student group while the Bard’s Birthday

weekend (26th-27th Apr i l ) cou ld appea l to a

Fr iends /Pat rons group espec ia l l y i f an Eng l i sh

Shakespearian actor led the tour from London to

Stra t ford . For more in format ion , check out

www.shakespeares-england.co.uk

Talk to your Minister about the York Mystery Plays

as the hook on which to hang a unique tour. Since

1998 the 7 Guilds and Companies of York have

established a 4 yearly cycle of pageant wagon pro-

ductions of York’s internationally renowned Mystery

Plays which date back to medieval times. In 2014 the

large scale open air productions wi l l take place

between13th — 20th July against the stunning back-

drop of the city. These performances hark back to

the original spectacle of the Corpus Christi Day

Festivities and are true in spirit to both the medieval

original and the 1950s revivals. The 2014 production

will again fill the City streets with drama and specta-

cle offering a truly unique experience. Find out more

at: www.yorkmysteryplays.co.uk

The northern part of this itinerary should include

spectacular Durham Cathedral, burial place for St

Cuthbert and a side trip to Holy Island, a place of pil-

grimage for centuries and where St Aidan established

a monastery in 635 AD. I would also add Chester



October 2013

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14

Cathedral where they will be opening a brand new

vis i tor experience next year . The ‘Cathedral at

Heights’ project will allow you to get a glimpse of the

1000 year old building from a completely new per-

spective by scaling the bell tower, getting up close

and personal with the stained-glass windows, peering

down on the 14th century quire stalls and ambling

along the galleries. It’s a sky-high tour offering unri-

valled panoramic views of the 2000 year old city.

http://www.chestercathedral.com

Throughout 2014, the beautiful city of Bath will be

celebrating the ‘Year of Festivals’. No matter when

you visit, you'll be sure to find a rich and varied pro-

gramme of events taking place throughout the year

featuring a wonderful mix of music, literature, food,

f i lm and art events . Highl ights include the Bath

International Music Festival in May, the ever-popular

Jane Austen Fes t i va l in September wi th the

Mozartfest filling a couple of weeks in November.

Keep up to date at www.visitbath.co.uk

For those who like to use a literary theme for their

UK tour, the city of Oxford can offer some fascinat-

ing On Locat ion tours where the cast inc ludes

Inspector Morse, Sergeant Lewis and Inspector

Barnaby (Midsomer Murders). For a different market,

Alice’s Day in early July offers an event where you

can bring together Lewis Carroll, J R R Tolkien and

Harry Potter. The city also plays a very important

role in a C S Lewis tour.

Next year, the UK and Ireland will be marking the

centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. In the

north east of England,

t he Durham L i gh t

In fantry Museum and

Art Gal lery i s one of

Durham C i t y ’ s mos t

r ewa rd i ng v i s i t o r

a t t r a c t i on s and i t s

exhibits and interactive

displays will commem-

orate the anniversary in a special way.

The museum relates the proud 200-year-old story of

the Durham Light Infantry, focusing on the experi-

ence of war using letter and diary extracts, and the

actual voices of veterans. It tells the story of ordinary

people who lived extraordinary lives. Also available

to view is a sizable collection of beautiful uniforms,

extravagant headgear and decorative silver from the

regiment's early years.

And finally, something for those of you with clients in

the legal profession. Just four original copies of the

Magna Carta have survived for very nearly 800 years.

Generally regarded as the cornerstone of liberty in

the English speaking world, one version is owned by

Lincoln Cathedral and in 2015 it will be housed in a

bespoke home as part of the redevelopment of

Lincoln Castle. It will be displayed with the city’s

Charter of the Forest (1217) and other priceless doc-

uments from the cathedral archive and elsewhere. An

audio visual display will bring them all to life alongside

the whole story of the castle and its role as a prison.

Watch this space as a full programme of celebrations

is being planned for this major anniversary.

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By

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October 2013

Scott KoepfVP of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express

www.JoinAvoya.com

16 Side bySideI went to see the Sondheim Musica l

‘Company’ for the second time last week.

Not only did I love it the first time as it

inspired my last column, but this time my

daughter was a last minute replacement in

the cast, so I had to go! She was wonder-

ful, but I won’t elaborate on her perfor-

mance but instead will focus on one of the

songs, Side by Side, that speaks to the

need for ‘company ’ . The whole show

explores our dependence on and desire to

have relationships. We are simply wired to

interact with each other; and since we are

in sales, I think for us it is even a deeper

part of who we are.

There are actually two perspectives I took

from this song. First is the need to have

others involved in your business. No mat-

ter how many strengths you have, you will

be more successful if you can work in tan-

dem with someone else that will al low

you to do what you are exceptional at.

Love the client conversations, but dread

the paperwork? Then find an assistant to

do the paperwork while you do what you

do best — Side by Side. Consider building

up a mora l suppor t g roup who wi l l

encourage, motivate, and challenge you —

Side by Side. You should build strong rela-

tionships with your primary suppliers so

that you can market and sell with confi-

dence – Side by Side. Or better yet, build

up al l of these relat ionships so as the

years go by you can sing:

Isn't it warm? Isn't it rosy?Side by side!

Ports in a storm, Comfy and cozy,Side by side!

Everything shines, How sweet,Side by side!

Parallel lines, Who meet,Side by side!

Year after year, Older and older,Side by side!

Sharing a tear, And lending a shoulder,Side by side!


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18

October 2013

The second perspective on this song is the result of a proactive

approach to the first perspective. In other words, when you

build the network and partnerships in your business, the ulti-

mate result is extraordinary relationships with your customers. I

often ask travel agents what the ultimate goal is for their busi-

ness. In most cases the answer I am provided is a desired annu-

al sales figure such as ‘a million dollars in sales’. While certainly

an important part of goal setting, it is not a goal that addresses

the root cause of those sales. The brilliant management consul-

tant, Peter Drucker, said that the sole purpose of any business

is ‘to find and keep customers’. If you do that well, then a mil-

lion dollars in sales is just a measly by-product on your way to

true success!

Finding and keeping customers is both an art and a science but if

you are proficient at it, then the end result is loyal, lifetime

clients. In fact, ultimate success may be defined as the point in

which you no longer need to spend any effort on the finding

part because you are so good at the keeping part. I will suggest

that when that occurs it is time to hire someone else and help

them follow your same path. Your plate will be full because you

wil l have cl ients singing the same song as above that also

includes the following lyrics:

What would we do without you?How would we ever get--How would we ever get--How would we ever get--

How would we ever get — through?What would we do without you?

When your customers feel they truly would not know what to

do without you, then you have established your value without

question. So go find a team to work with — Side by Side, so

that you and your clients can build on a relationship — Side by

Side, so that the number of clients you have and the extraordi-

nary sales they generate wil l multiply beyond your wildest

dreams — Side by Side!Side

by

Side

!

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National’s Emerald Club Makes EarningRewards as Easy as “One Two Free”

National Car Rental, through its award-winning EmeraldClub, is launching its annual One Two Free® promotion.The promotion offers registered Emerald Club members onefree rental day for every two qualifying rentals** of a mid-size or larger vehicle (for two or more consecutive days.)Members can earn up to 50 free rental days by participat-ing in the promotion, which begins today and includes anearning period through Jan. 31, 2014.

National has enhanced this year’s “One Two Free” pro-motion with the introduction of a points-based system thatallows Emerald Club members to earn bonus points fornon-rental activities. In addition to the points members earnfor qualifying rentals (each is worth 300 points, with a freeday awarded once a member earns 600 points), otheropportunities to earn bonus points include:

• Referring up to 10 friends to join the Emerald Cluband “One Two Free” promotion (300 points per referredindividual upon completion of a rental)

• Downloading National’s new mobile app (one-timebonus of 25 points)

• Utilizing Facebook social sign-in to connect onNational’s “One Two Free” promotion site (50 points)

• Participating in the Emerald Reserve service — formembers who require a specific car class, such as a con-vertible, SUV, minivan, etc. — at Emerald Aisle locations(one-time bonus of 25 points)

To refer a friend for the promotion, members can sharethe “One Two Free” registration link via email, Facebookor Twitter. Participating members receive 300 bonus pointswhen a referred friend becomes an Emerald Club member,registers for the promotion and completes a qualifyingrental by Jan. 31, 2014.

“For more than a decade, ‘One Two Free’ has been avery popular promotion with our loyal Emerald Club mem-bers. This year we’re offering them even more reward-earn-ing opportunities outside of the rental process,” said RobConnors, assistant vice president of brand marketing for

National. “Earning points for quick and simple activitieslike downloading our new mobile app and referring friendsto the program makes it faster and easier than ever toenjoy free rentals.”

Customers can join National’s Emerald Club atwww.emeraldclub.com/Free and immediately take part inthe “One Two Free” promotion. There are no fees to join,and members enjoy expedited service at airports and freeupgrades in National’s “Emerald Aisle.”

Current Emerald Club members can register for the pro-motion at www.emeraldclub.com/Free. Free days earnedfor qualifying rentals through the “One Two Free” promo-tion are awarded in addition to a member’s chosenrewards earnings (frequent traveler miles/points or rentalcredits.)

Emerald Club members may track and redeem the freerental days they earn through “One Two Free” betweenSept. 9, 2013, and June 16, 2014, by visiting www.emer-aldclub.com/Free. Up to three free days can be redeemedper rental at any time, including weekends. In keeping withthe speed and convenience of the Emerald Club rentalexperience, National notifies participants about their freerental days via email.

*Earned free day may be redeemed to cover base ratefor a rental day but excludes taxes, governmentally-autho-rized or imposed surcharges, license recoupment/air taxrecovery, concession recoupment fees, airport and airportfacility fees, fuel, one-way rental charge, additional driverfee, or optional items, which shall be the responsibility ofthe renter.

**A qualifying rental is the paid rental, via the EmeraldClub, of a midsize or larger vehicle at participating loca-tions in the 50 United States, including the District ofColumbia (excluding Canada), for a period of two or moreconsecutive days during the promotion.

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Club Members Can Earn Free* Rental Days by Renting Vehicles, Participating in Bonus Activities

For more information, visit www.nationalcar.com. To enjoy all the benefits of theEmerald Club, enroll online by visiting www.emeraldclub.com.

1 . 8 0 0 . 2 2 3 . 5 5 5 5 • w w w. a u t o e u r o p e . c o m39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112

Your European Trip Is More Affordable!

Free GPS Rentals, Savings of 20% With Luxury Car Rental Services

Summer Is Not Over Yet! There’s Still Time To Earn FreshMaine Seafood With Prestige Car Rentals and Business ClassPackages with Auto Europe

Auto Europe is reminding agents that there is still time toearn their fresh Maine seafood rewards for reservations nowthrough September 30, 2013. Agents can earn three free lob-sters or two pounds of salmon with any weekly prestige orsports car rental or business class air packages through theirtour division, Fly International.

Auto Europe offers the largest selection of luxury vehiclesincluding the latest models from Astin Martin, Audi, Bentley,BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lotus, Mercedes, Maserati, Porsche,Range Rover and others. Their dedicated team of specialistscan arrange all the details from “meet and greet” service, on oroff airport delivery including hotel or private residence and alsocustomized arrangements for special occasions including deliv-ery of vehicles within 24 hours to any major city in Europe.

Auto Europe is also offering incentives for your clients.Their current offers for September include up to 20% off carrental services, free one car class upgrades and free GPSrentals with select car rental services.

Their tour division, Fly International offers A La Carte ser-vices for a truly customized travel package to suit your upscaletravelers with business class services on all major carriers.

Seafood offer valid with any seven-day minimum luxury orprestige car rental. Offers subject to change without noticeand additional restrictions may apply. Offer valid for US resi-dents only, for reservations now through September 30, 2013for travel by December 31, 2013.

Auto Europe services over 8,000 car rental locations in over130 countries worldwide. In addition, through their tour divi-sion, FlyInternational.com they offer scheduled airfare toEurope with over 30 carriers and service 3, 4 & 5 star world-wide hotels.

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Auto Europe is offering customized business class pack-ages to upscale travelers with Fall business class packagesto Europe including business class airfare, four nightsdeluxe accommodations and a choice of a four day luxurycar rental or round-trip private chauffeur transfers. Theseservices are offered through their tour division, FlyInternational.

Travel agents can earn up to $1,250.00 per package,$625.00 per passenger, in commissions on these packagesand with Auto Europe’s Travel Agent Rewards Program for2013, can also earn iPad®s, up to $500 gift cards, freshMaine seafood and free travel services for their own use.

Thousands of packages are available from all major depar-ture cities in the USA to all major destinations in Europe. Forexample, packages from Boston to Copenhagen start at$2717, Philadelphia to Amsterdam $4347, Chicago to Zurich$5327, Miami to Madrid $5297, Washington, D.C. to Paris

from $5127, San Francisco to London $5899 or Seattle toRome from $6049.

All prices are per-person based on two people travelingand are valid for departures September 20 – November 15,2013 and must be purchased by September 16, 2013.Airfare is roundtrip business class including all taxes andfuel surcharge. Hotel prices include VAT and breakfast;city taxes are not included and are payable to the hoteldirectly. Car rental includes VAT, CDW, Theft Protectionand unlimited mileage. Private chauffeur transfers areround-trip in Europe between the airport and a downtownlocation, and do not include gratuity. Advance purchaseand minimum stay requirements may apply. Fares are sub-ject to availability and are subject to change until paymentis received.

For details about the 2013 Travel Agents Rewards Program,please visit www.autoeurope.com/tasite/ta/famtrips.cfm

Summer Is Not Over Yet! There’s Still Time To Earn Fresh Maine Seafood With Prestige Car Rentals and

Business Class Packages with Auto Europe


*Some conditions apply. See next page.

October 2013

Expedia CrusieShipCenters isGiving Away 25 Free Cruise

Expedia CruiseShipCenters is gearing up for our annual cruise giveaway contest, in which25 winners will be awarded a cruise to the Bahamas on one of Norwegian Cruise Line’sspectacular ships. The Win 1 of 25 Free Cruises Contest is a great opportunity for ourVacation Consultants to grow their customer databases by inviting everyone in their circleof influence – friends, family, coworkers and clients – to enter for their chance to win a freecruise!

When people sign up to be part of your database, they can also register to receive exclu-sive email offers sent personalized from you. Our last Win 1 of 25 FREE Cruises Contestwas a huge success and received over 335,000 entries, with 80% of entrants voluntarilysubscribing to at least 1 of our email newsletters.

“This contest provides an incredible opportunity for our agents to grow their business,” saysGeraldine Ree, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Expedia CruiseShipCenters.“Offering someone the chance to win a free cruise is an easy way to begin the customerrelationship so that when the time does come for them to book their next vacation, ouragents will be top of mind,” she added.

We're committed to providing all 4,000 of our Vacation Consultants with the tools theyneed to build a fun and flexible travel business that fits their lifestyle. All of our training,marketing and technology were designed with your success in mind, so that you can enjoya rewarding business in travel, even with no industry experience!

Find out how you can join our team at an upcoming information webinar. RSVP now orchoose the session to the top right that best suits your schedule.

Warm regards,Pat HeathfieldExpedia CruiseShipCenters

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Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Just Cruises43277 Garfield Rd, Clinton Township, MI 48038

Phone: 586-840-7447/800-837-4477 Email: [email protected] • www.cruiseshipcenters.com/JustCruisesHB

October 2013

The Affluent Traveler Magazine Launches $10,000

Dream Vacation Sweepstakes

The Affluent Traveler, the semi-annual luxury lifestyle magazine of The Affluent Traveler Collection, is offering

aspiring travelers the chance to win a river cruise vacation for two valued at $10,000. The prize includes a 7

night luxury European sailing with AmaWaterways and Delta. To enter, visit

www.theaffluenttraveler.com/contest; entries will be accepted through December 15, 2013.

The winner and a guest will travel first class via Delta Airlines and sail through Europe, enjoying an

AmaWaterways ‘In Celebration of Wine’ cruise. The cruise includes wine lectures, wine tastings and

excursions to historic vineyards and cellars. Celebrity wine hosts from some of the top wineries in North

America will accompany each cruise.

The Affluent Traveler, designed to serve as the ‘guide to the good life,’ features the world’s finest travel

experiences, celebrity interviews and an expansive culinary section. It has an international distribution in

more than 15 countries and is available by subscription, through licensed travel advisors of The Affluent

Traveler Collection, at major bookstores, on newsstands, in select airport lounges and in the guestrooms of

all Affluent Traveler Collection preferred hotels.

The Affluent Traveler is the official magazine of The Affluent Traveler Collection, one of 18 brands owned by

American Marketing Group, Inc. To learn more about The Affluent Traveler Collection or find an Affluent

Traveler Collection licensed travel advisor, visit www.theaffluenttraveler.com.

*No purchase necessary to win.

Terms and conditions apply and can be found by logging on to www.theaffluenttraveler.com/contest.

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For more information about The Affluent Traveler Collection, agencies and suppliers can visit www.theaffluenttravel-er.com, email [email protected], or call 877-645-6351.


NEST to Hold NationalTraining Event

In a continued effort to provide its members with the most

comprehensive and innovative training opportunities, the

Network of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel (NEST) announces its

NEST Bootcamp, a two day training event next month. The

event will include business building seminars, niche travel

experience workshops and a trade show. NEST Bootcamp will

take place November 4 – 5, 2013 at the Hyatt Pier 66 in Fort

Lauderdale, Florida.

“As with all of our training sessions, NEST Bootcamp has been

carefully put together based on what our agencies have told us

is most important to them,” says Kathryn Mazza-Burney,

President of NEST. “The success of our members has, and

always will be, our top priority. So when there is a chance to

provide additional support, we seize the opportunity.”

A comprehensive line-up of business building sessions cover-

ing everything from niche travel trends and sales strategies to

marketing planning, technology and more is on the agenda.

Well-known industry speaker Cory Andrichuk, President of

brandUcoaching Inc. will be the keynote speaker and will

coach attendees at some of the workshops. Members will have

the opportunity to network with their peers, preferred suppliers

and NEST executives. Another key component is a preferred

supplier showcase, inclusive of a mini trade show. Participants

will have the opportunity to schedule individual appointments

in advance with preferred suppliers to discuss product offer-

ings, marketing, sales tactics and vendor support.

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To learn more about joining NEST, home-based agents can visit www.jointhenest.com or contact Rosemary Sarkis at 888-245-NEST x3007.

About NEST:

The Network of Entrepreneurs Selling

Travel (NEST), based in Oyster Bay,

New York, is the industry’s first and

only marketing group exclusively for

home-based travel agents. The compa-

ny focuses entirely on helping home-

based travel agents achieve greater

success financially, professionally and

personally by championing solutions

and opportunities just for them. From

supplier negotiations to marketing,

education to networking, and a com-

plete portfolio of technology solu-

tions, NEST delivers what home-based

agents need, when they need it. NEST

also supports the changing needs of

suppliers, helping them to effectively

reach the rapidly growing, home-

based distribution channel to train,

motivate, cultivate and compensate

them.

— Network of Home-based Agencies Convene in November —

ROYALCARIBBEAN.COM

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